Sinew & Steel

Flash Fiction – Science Fantasy

The plains stretched endlessly, the cracked ground shimmering with the last light of the setting sun. Terrek dragged his feet, every step harder than the last. His body screamed for water, for rest, for anything but this endless slog. He clenched a stick in his trembling hand, gripping the only thing he had to protect himself against the wilds.

The air shifted. The smell hit him first, sharp and metallic, with a sickly undercurrent of decay. Terrek froze, his pulse hammering in his ears. He turned his head slowly, scanning the horizon. It moved before he saw it, a figure emerging from behind a jagged rock formation. At first, it looked human, but as it stepped closer, the details sent a shiver down Terrek’s spine. Its limbs gleamed with black-red sinews, pulsing like veins, connecting metal joints that hissed softly with each step.

“Who… who’s there?” Terrek rasped, gripping his stick tighter.

The figure stopped a few paces away, its glowing eyes locked onto his. “I am Morvyn,” it said, its voice low and vibrating like distant thunder. “A nokhura.”

Terrek swallowed hard, his mouth dry. He had heard stories of the nokhura, guardians by some accounts, though their appearances were always followed by death.

“Stay back,” he barked, though his voice wavered.

Morvyn tilted its head slightly, studying him. “You are lost,” it said. “I am here to restore balance.”

“Balance?” Terrek scoffed, though his voice lacked conviction. “You look more like something that causes chaos.”

Morvyn’s glowing eyes flickered. “Chaos is imbalance. I correct it.”

Terrek’s heart pounded as the air seemed to thicken around him. Every instinct screamed at him to run, but his legs refused to move. The nokhura stepped closer.

“Your path is unclear,” Morvyn said. “I will guide you.”

Terrek’s grip on the stick faltered. He didn’t trust the thing, but what choice did he have? Die alone or take the risk? His jaw tightened.

“Fine,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “But try anything, and I’ll take my chances without you.”

The nokhura’s eyes gleamed. “Good,” it said. “Let us begin.”

Author’s Note

I wrote this as a character exploration prompt, but it became a reflection of what it feels like to face something bigger, stranger, or more powerful than you feel prepared for. Terrek’s fear and Morvyn’s calm confidence both came from different parts of me that don’t always agree on how to survive a hard season.

Photo: Wirestock